A gray new world – LegalVoice

Posted June 18th, 2013 in criminal justice, law firms, legal aid, legal profession, news, select committees, solicitors by sally

“‘This is a derisory document’. Thus, Professor Roger Smith described the MoJ’s paper on Transforming Legal Aid, when he gave evidence to the Select Committee for Justice last Tuesday. The most senior members of the legal profession gave evidence about the potential impact of the proposals. The President of the Law Society, and the chairs of the Bar Council, Criminal Bar Association, and Criminal Law Solicitors Association all agreed that, if the Minister has his way, the criminal justice system will be irreparably harmed. The MoJ plans to introduce these changes by secondary legislation, although more than 90,000 signatories to an e-petition (Save UK Justice) have now called for a full debate in Parliament.”

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LegalVoice, 17th June 2013

Source: www.legalvoice.org.uk

High Court rejects post-trial bid to double costs budget – Litigation Futures

Posted June 18th, 2013 in amendments, budgets, costs, news by sally

“The High Court has rejected a bid by a successful defendant to nearly double its approved £270,000 costs budget after the case had concluded.”

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Litigation Futures, 17th June 2013

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

Call centres in BBC Three programme fined £225,000 – BBC News

Posted June 18th, 2013 in complaints, fines, news, nuisance, telecommunications by sally

“Two companies which appear in BBC Three series The Call Centre have been issued with fines related to nuisance calls.”

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BBC News, 18th June 2013

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Newham Council loses fight to stop spread of betting shops as court upholds appeal by Paddy Power – The Independent

Posted June 18th, 2013 in appeals, gambling, licensed premises, local government, news by sally

“A council has accused the Gambling Commission of ‘refusing to act as a regulator’ and called for Government action as it loses its battle to curb the spread of betting shops in poorer areas.”

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The Independent, 17th June 2013

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Ofcom resolves BBC boat race swearing case – BBC News

Posted June 18th, 2013 in BBC, codes of practice, complaints, news, obscenity by sally

“Ofcom has resolved a complaints case against the BBC over offensive language broadcast live during the 2013 Oxford and Cambridge University Boat Race.”

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BBC News, 17th June 2013

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Cybercrime needs to be better defined in order to protect privacy rights, says watchdog – OUT-LAW.com

Posted June 18th, 2013 in computer crime, data protection, drafting, EC law, news, privacy by sally

“The European Commission should more clearly define what is meant by ‘cybercrime’ in order to prevent personal data from being processed in cases where it cannot be legally justified, an EU privacy watchdog has said.”

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OUT-LAW.com, 17th June 2013

Source: www.out-law.com

Moors murderer Ian Brady appears in public at ‘right-to-die’ hearing – The Guardian

Posted June 18th, 2013 in assisted suicide, mental health, news, prisons, tribunals by sally

“Moors murderer Ian Brady began a legal attempt to prove that he is sane in the hope that he will be discharged from the secure psychiatric hospital where he is incarcerated and sent to a high security jail so he can starve himself to death.”

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The Guardian, 17th June 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

BBC breached code after airing ‘offensive’ word on Today programme – Daily Telegraph

Posted June 18th, 2013 in BBC, codes of practice, complaints, news, obscenity by sally

“BBC Radio 4’s flagship Today programme breached the broadcasting code when it aired an offensive word describing people with learning difficulties, watchdog Ofcom has ruled.”

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Daily Telegraph, 17th June 2013

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Legal aid cuts: What has changed? – BBC News

Posted June 18th, 2013 in civil justice, domestic violence, law centres, legal aid, litigants in person, news by sally

“Significant changes to civil legal aid in England and Wales came into effect on 1 April 2013, as part of a plan to reform the system and save £350m a year.”

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BBC News, 18th June 2013

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Wales child abuse: Mrs Justice Macur holds Wrexham meetings – BBC News

Posted June 18th, 2013 in child abuse, inquiries, news, Wales by sally

“The judge leading a review of the Waterhouse inquiry into abuse at children’s homes in north Wales will hold public meetings later on Tuesday.”

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BBC News, 18th June 2013

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Surveyor on £60,000 a year jailed after secret life as graffiti vandal exposed – Daily Telegraph

Posted June 18th, 2013 in criminal damage, news, perverting the course of justice, sentencing, surveyors by sally

“A surveyor who had a secret life as a graffiti vandal has been jailed for three and a half years.”

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Daily Telegraph, 18th June 2013

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Attorney General to investigate if sentence ‘too lenient’ after veteran BBC broadcaster Stuart Hall gets 15 months for indecently assaulting 13 girls – The Independent

Posted June 18th, 2013 in guilty pleas, news, sentencing, sexual offences by sally

“The Attorney General is to examine whether disgraced former BBC broadcaster Stuart Hall’s 15-month sentence for indecent assault was ‘unduly lenient’, as politicians and charities said it should be extended.”

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The Independent, 17th June 2013

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Charles Saatchi case: what is a police caution? – The Guardian

Posted June 18th, 2013 in assault, cautions, news by sally

“Police cautions are given to save the expense and logistical difficulty of a full court hearing and happen when someone admits what is usually a relatively minor offence.”

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The Guardian, 18th June 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Defamation on social media – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted June 17th, 2013 in contempt of court, defamation, internet, news, prosecutions, suspended sentences by sally

“On 24 May Mr Justice Tugendhat handed down the judgment in McAlpine v Bercow [2013] EWHC 1342 (QB), finding that Mrs Bercow’s tweet carried a defamatory meaning. Following the judgment it was announced that Bercow had accepted an earlier settlement offer, saying that ‘today’s ruling should be seen as a warning to all social media users’. Although Twitter litigation is no longer new (the site has been the form of publication in a number of cases, most notably Cairns v Modi [2012] EWHC 756 (QB)), McAlpine is the first to really tackle the peculiar nature of this social media genre and could mark a key moment in social media use.”

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Law Society’s Gazette, 17th June 2013

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Ofcom investigates broadcasting of Lee Rigby footage – BBC News

Posted June 17th, 2013 in armed forces, BBC, children, complaints, media, murder, news, ombudsmen, video recordings by sally

“TV watchdog Ofcom has launched an investigation into the broadcasting of footage from the scene of the murder of soldier Lee Rigby.”

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BBC News, 17th June 2013

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Stuart Hall jailed for indecently assaulting young girls – The Guardian

Posted June 17th, 2013 in abuse of position of trust, BBC, child abuse, inquiries, news, sentencing, sexual offences by sally

“The disgraced BBC broadcaster Stuart Hall was jailed for 15 months on Monday for a string of historic sex attacks on girls as young as nine.”

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The Guardian, 17th June 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Command Papers – official-documents.gov.uk

Posted June 17th, 2013 in parliamentary papers by sally

Government Response to the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee Report HC 690 of Session 2012-13 FCO Performance and Finances 2011-12, Cm 8636 (PDF)

Agreement between the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Government of the United States of America for the Sharing of Visa, Immigration, and Nationality Information, Cm 8651 (PDF)

Agreement on a Unified Patent Court, Cm 8653 (PDF)

Source: www.official-documents.gov.uk

BAILII: Recent Decisions

Posted June 17th, 2013 in law reports by sally

Court of Appeal (Civil Division)

Newhaven Port & Properties Ltd, R (on the application of) v Secretary of State for the Environment Food and Rural Affairs [2013] EWCA Civ 673 (14 June 2013)

Okotoks Ld & Anor v Fine & Country Ltd & Ors [2013] EWCA Civ 672 (14 June 2013)

Lumos Skincare Ltd v Sweet Squared Ltd. & Ors [2013] EWCA Civ 671 (14 June 2013)

Superstrike Ltd v Rodrigues [2013] EWCA Civ 669 (14 June 2013)

Birch v Ministry of Defence [2013] EWCA Civ 676 (14 June 2013)

Ireland v David Lloyd Leisure Ltd [2013] EWCA Civ 665 (14 June 2013)

High Court (Queen’s Bench Division)

Tchenguiz & Ors v The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) [2013] EWHC 1578 (QB) (14 June 2013)

Roger Ward Associates Ltd & Ors v Britannia Assets (UK) Ltd [2013] EWHC 1653 (QB) (14 June 2013)

Mehjoo v Harben Barker (a firm) & Anor [2013] EWHC 1669 (QB) (14 June 2013)

Lombard North Central Plc v Nugent & Ors [2013] EWHC 1588 (QB) (06 June 2013)

High Court (Chancery Division)

Peel Land and Property (Ports No.3) Ltd v TS Sheerness Steel Ltd [2013] EWHC 1658 (Ch) (14 June 2013)

MF Global UK Ltd (in special administration), Re [2013] EWHC 1655 (Ch) (14 June 2013)

Revenue & Customs v SED Essex Ltd [2013] EWHC 1583 (Ch) (14 June 2013)

High Court (Family Division)

CM v The Executor of the Estate of EJ & Ors [2013] EWHC 1680 (Fam) (14 June 2013)

High Court (Administrative Court)

Borough of Telford and Wrekin & Anor v Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government [2013] EWHC 1638 (Admin) (14 June 2013)

Arranz v Spanish Judicial Authority [2013] EWHC 1662 (Admin) (14 June 2013)

High Court (Commercial Court)

Tullow Uganda Ltd v Heritage Oil and Gas Ltd & Anor [2013] EWHC 1656 (Comm) (14 June 2013)

Versloot Dredging BV & Anor v HDI Gerling Industrie Versicherung AG & Ors (Rev 1) [2013] EWHC 1666 (Comm) (14 June 2013)

Versloot Dredging BV & Anor v HDI Gerling Industrie Versicherung AG & Ors (Rev 1) [2013] EWHC 1667 (Comm) (14 June 2013)

High Court (Technology and Construction Court)

Elvanite Full Circle Ltd. v Amec Earth & Environmental (UK) Ltd. [2013] EWHC 1643 (TCC) (14 June 2013)

Source: www.bailii.org

Extending Police Retention of Biometric Material – Criminal Law and Justice Weekly

Posted June 17th, 2013 in consultations, data protection, news, police, privacy, proportionality, public interest by sally

“The first Biometrics Commissioner, Mr Alastair MacGregor QC, has issued a consultation paper asking for views about how he should act in relation to the retention and use of biometric material obtained from persons who have been arrested but not charged.”

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Criminal Law and Justice Weekly, 15th June 2013

Source: www.criminallawandjustice.co.uk

Re B (A Child) – Social Engineering or Proportionate Response to Risk of Future Harm? – Family Law Week

Posted June 17th, 2013 in adoption, appeals, care orders, children, news, proportionality, Supreme Court by sally

“Janet Bazley QC and Eleri Jones of 1 Garden Court consider the Supreme Court’s decision in Re B (A Child) [2013] UKSC 22.”

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Family Law Week, 16th June 2013

Source: www.familylawweek.co.uk